James leads Michigan lawmakers in missed votes in Congress
Mike Cox: “[James has] skipped nearly 10% of his votes in Congress since 2025. This is the worst attendance in Michigan’s entire delegation. Mission first? Try showing up first.”
LANSING — Two-time statewide loser John James leads the Michigan delegation in missing votes in Congress, which has become a flashpoint in the MAGA primary for governor as James, Perry Johnson, and Mike Cox are set to square off in two televised debates this Wednesday and Thursday.
The Detroit News exposed James’ poor attendance this spring, including that he’s “missed about twice as many roll call votes as any other Michigan member of Congress since the start of 2025.” In 2026, James has skipped votes on bipartisan legislation to stand up to China and protect the Great Lakes by reauthorizing a vital cleanup program—and at the end of June, James skipped the vote on a bipartisan housing bill that would lower home prices.
James’ missed votes in Congress come as he’s faced intense pressure from fellow Republicans for largely avoiding the campaign trail, including skipping a half-dozen primary debates.
While he leads the Michigan delegation in missed votes, James has shown up for three crucial votes this year: one in January, where he voted against lowering healthcare costs by extending Affordable Care Act tax credits; another in February, where he voted to protect Trump’s cost-raising tariffs; and a third in June, where he voted in support of Trump’s price-hiking Iran War.
Read more below.
The Detroit News: James leads Michigan lawmakers in missed votes in Congress
- Two-term U.S. Rep. John James has led the Michigan delegation in missing roll call votes in the U.S. House, skipping 9.2% or 43 of 465 votes since his term began in January 2025.
- James, a Republican from Shelby Township who is running for governor of Michigan, skipped nearly 10% of votes last year and 4.3% (73) roll call votes overall since he was first sworn into Congress in 2023 ― a rate that is double the 2.1% median lifetime record for House members who are currently serving, according to tracking by the website GovTrack.
- One notable piece of legislation that James failed to vote on this year was the House’s sweeping, bipartisan package to expand manufactured and affordable housing, speed up homebuilding and broaden community banks’ lending powers amid the nation’s housing crisis.
- James also missed a vote on a bill last month that aims to isolate China from global institutions if it were to attack Taiwan.
- Last week, he missed Tuesday’s vote on the American Water Stewardship Act, which is bipartisan legislation sponsored by Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a cleanup program that’s set to expire at year’s end.
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